One of the greatest contemporary songwriters and a new collaboration between two award-winning American jazz musicians have been added to the 38th edition of Copenhagen Jazz Festival. This marks Burt Bacharach (US) and Branford Marsalis Quartet feat. Kurt Elling (US) joining Pat Metheny (US) as the three initial Concert Hall Events at this year’s festival. Tickets will go on sale at 10 AM March 4th.

Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2016 takes place from the 1st-10th of July at a combined 100 venues in Copenhagen. The full schedule will be revealed in increments until June 1st right here at jazz.dk.

Copenhagen Jazz Festival and DR Koncerthuset present a friendly clash of titans, when saxophonist and New Orleans-ambassador Branford Marsalis and his quartet are joined by the greatest male jazz vocalist of the past few decades, Kurt Elling.

Kurt Elling and Branford Marsalis have each played at Copenhagen Jazz Festival in the past, but this marks a unique opportunity to experience one of 2016’s most talked-about collaborations in DR Koncerthusets Koncertsal. Expect a gratifying look inside the American jazz tradition at its utmost authenticity.

Branford Marsalis is known for his range as a sax player, established at the very beginning of his career as an integral part of the legendary Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He has released albums on some of the world’s biggest jazz labels, recorded and toured with the likes of Sting and The Grateful Dead, gone on to perform on a series of famous American TV shows and is even a sought-after soloist in classical music circles, such as with the New York Philharmonic. As his name reveals, Branford Marsalis is also a member of the Marsalis jazz family, deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of New Orleans, so vital to the nature of modern jazz as to have received the honorary award from NEA Jazz Masters as a family – an impressive first.

“Elling is the standout male vocalist of our time.” Those are the words of the New York Times, and history agrees. A deep understanding of jazz history combined with an outstanding technique and sense of pitch has led the sublime barytone Kurt Elling to his 14 consecutive awards as Male Singer of the Year in Downbeat Magazine. Like Marsalis, Kurt Elling has also recorded an album in honor of the late John Coltrane.

Branford Marsalis’ tight quartet allowing anyone inside their near-telepathic interplay is a rarity, yet they have made an exception with Kurt Elling. The group did their first public performance in December 2015 in New Orleans, where they met up to record an album. The initial sessions must have been pretty successful, as 2016 sees them embarking on a European tour. The eclectic quintet includes Marsalis’ favorite pianist, Joey Calderazzo, bass giant Eric Revis and the immensely talented Justin Faulkner on drums. Conjoined, they deliver absolutely top-shelf acoustic mainstream jazz and are bringing a wide variety of new material written by the different members of the group.

The greatest living songwriter of the 20th century is closing off ten days of jazz festival in Copenhagen, as Copenhagen Jazz Festival, DR Koncerthuset and ICO Concerts invite the audience to a memorable finale at Koncertsalen with Burt Bacharach on Sunday July 10th.

The 87 year old singer, pianist and songwriter Burt Bacharach has throughout his career delivered material to countless jazz improvisations – and billboards across the world. His music is as diverse as his audience; it has surpassed generations and continents since the 1950s and is without a doubt as relevant today as it was then.

The multiple Grammy- and Oscar winner has a definite claim to being described as a legend in international showbiz. During his 60 years in music, he has entertained audiences all over the world with an endless repertoire. Classics such as ”That’s What Friends Are For”, ”Close To You”, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”, ”I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”, ”I Say A Little Prayer” og ”What’s New Pussycat” are but scratches on the surface of his vast list of evergreens.

Burt Bacharach began his career in the fifties as the orchestral leader and arranger for one the past’s biggest greats, Marlene Dietrich. Already at this early stage of his career, during the 1950s-60s, he played an enormous role in the formation of pop culture as we know it, often in interplay with lyricist Hal David, with whom he wrote a large selection of his most famous tunes. Bacharach’s personal brand was a mixture of romantic melodies with untraditional rhythms and exciting harmonies, making him a favorite among musical interpreters. Since these beginnings, he has worked with and written songs for artists such as Dionne Warwick, The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, The Carpenters, Tom Jones and in more recent times Jamie Cullum, Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright and others.

Even though Burt Bacharach is currently living out his 87th year, he still tours with an impressive band. At his latest visit in Denmark in 2013 he swept the audience away, and we are incredibly honored to be able to ask Burt Bacharach back on stage on the very last day of Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2016 in the optimal setting at Koncertsalen.